I think it would be EXTREMELY odd for them to introduce Dr. Strange in Thor 2 if the character won't be getting his own film until AT LEAST 2016, unless they plan on shoehorning him into Avengers 2....which seems like a bad idea.

I'm betting on this being a rumor and nothing more. That said, I won't be surprised in the slightest if the Marvel 2016 line-up is Ant-Man and Dr. Strange.

My only real question is: Would Viggo do it? He doesn't strike me as a typical franchise player, and seems to be successful enough career-wise that he doesn't NEED a franchise (Yes, he was a headliner in the Lord of the Rings franchise, but I think we can agree that LotR was a very different kind of experience from chaining yourself to Marvel/Disney for X number of films...and who knows when they'd get around to a Strange solo film (though I'd imagine they might fast-track it if Viggo got involved)?

Don't get me wrong, I think Viggo would be a great choice, it's just not someone I ever would have thought would sign on to the Marvel bandwagon. He's always seemed like the kind of guy that picks his projects largely on what interests him rather than just cashing in a paycheck.

I don't think Viggo wants another franchise, outside of wanting to do Eastern Promises 2 with Cronenberg. Again, the whole "Viggo as Stephen Strange?" stuff is just conjecture. The "Dr. Strange cameoing in a Phase Two film" and the "Viggo in talks with Marvel" rumors both appeared around the same time. A few sites combined them and it spread like wildfire. I still think it is far more likely that Viggo is once again being looked at for villainous turn in a comic book film, this time for Cap 2....which is currently casting. He previously turned down Batman Begins and Man of Steel (as well as Snow White and the Huntsman and The Dark Tower). On the whole I don't think Mortensen really gives a shit about starring in big films, so don't be surprised if he knocks Marvel's offer back as well. That said, I think he'd be far more likely to play a villain with a two (or three) film contract than the required minimum 6-film deal that all of their heroes are signing.

As fun as it is to speculate who will be playing Strange, I think we'll be doing just that for awhile. A Dr. Strange film isn't going to happen until Phase Three at this point, meaning 2016 at the absolute earliest. I can see Marvel chucking a throwaway little role to a smaller hero or two in the next round of films or on the SHIELD show (like Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Moon Knight, etc.), but I'm not expecting them to do any such thing with the likes of Dr. Strange, The Black Panther, The Sub-Mariner, etc. Those characters, outside of post-credits sequences, likely won't arrive until they have their own films. And expecting Marvel to put Stephen Strange in a post-credits scene and then not have his film come out for two or three years is moronic.

Iron Man 3 will probably tease Thor: The Dark World after the credits. The latter will likely do the same for Captain America: The Winter Soldier and that one for Guardians of the Galaxy (and/or Avengers 2) and so on.

The real big question now is whether or not Marvel is still toying with the idea of squeezing Ant-Man into the schedule BEFORE Avengers 2 hits screens. All rumors still point to Wright moving straight into pre-production on it as soon as he finishes post on the now-shooting The World's End.